Harry Turtledove's Southern Victory Story (Part 2)
In a world where the Confederacy has won the Civil War, much has changed. The CSA is now a legitimate nation, European nations also recognize it and it won another war against the Union who is struggling to recover from their defeat from thew Civil War. This is Part 2 of Harry Turtledove's story: Southern Victory. As you know from Part 1, the CSA win ther Civil War, set up alliances with Britain and France, admit 2 Mexican Provinces into the Confederacy while the Union declared war on the Confederacy, and lost. Things were looking grim for the USA. But ever since they made an alliance with the German Empire, they are determined to defeat the CSA once and for all. The Great War By "The Great War" ''trilogy (published in 1998 with ''"American Front") the story goes to the 20th Century, and ever since the Second Mexican War, everything was quiet. That is until 1914, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Astro-Hungarian Empire was visiting Sarajevo (which separated from the Empire) he was shot and killed in his own car: eliminated by Serbian Separatists. Just like in our reality, Ferdinand's death was the official beginning of World War 1 (known in Turtledove's story as The Great War). In America, they caught wind of Ferdinand's death as the US President Theodore Roosevelt and CS President Woodrow Wilson. They soon declare war on each other, meaning the 3rd time there has been a war on American Soil. The CSA began their campaign to try to emulate their great war hero: Robert E. Lee as they try to invade Philadelpia (the USA's De Facto Capital) by going through the border state of Maryland. Unlike in the Second Mexican War, the CSA's allies (Britain and France) were fighting on their home turf and couldn't aid the CSA in their fight against the USA. The USA had their own plans, they began a new campaign to re-claim Kentucky, and though they met with some heavy resistance with gunboats on the Ohio River the USA pushed into Kentucky. After that they began to move onto Virginia in hopes to take the city of Roanoke (which had a major rail line there). In the west, the USA even made a move to invade Sonora and even took their aggression on the Canadians by invading Manitoba, Ontario ''and ''Quebec. In the Pacific, the USA fought Britain as they attacked and took a British naval base in Hawaii (known as the Sandwich Islands in Turtledove's story). But by 1915, a huge stalemate occurs. The CSA's advance towards Philadelphia wa shalted by the harsh winter and as the Susquehanna River flooded, but it was also an opportunity for the Army of the Potomac (ATP) to advance and they begin to slowly push the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) back into Virginia. The USA also advanced into New Brunswick, but also ran into trouble when they attempt to cross the St. Lawrence River. Like in our reality, trench warfare was also widely used (including in America) and with the advent of the usage of barbed wire and the machine gun, only compounds the stalemate in both theaters of the war. The Mormons in Utah were once again threatening to rebel against and secede from the USA, but Roosevelt has sent troops into Utah to put down this rebellion (in which the Utah government assumed that the US Government would be too busy with the war to deal with the situation), the Mormon Rebellion would be put down in the next year with Utah under Marshal law until the 1930's. By mid to late 1915, another rebel faction was forming in the CSA: A group of black people who are fed up with the oppression of the Confederacy, and inspired by the teachings of Karl Marx (more on that later) they decide to form a rebel faction to fight against the CS Army. By 1916, the USA is slowly but surely gaining an advantage over the CSA as the ATP was advancing on the ANV and are moving into Washington DC (the "de Juer" capital of the USA). The USA also re-takes Kentucky and are now moving into Tennessee. To take advantage of this, the USA also upgraded their war technology. This is where US General George Custer (who in our reality was killed by Native Americans at the Battle of Little Bighorn) came up with a device that can go over trenches. This would be known as the "Barrel" (as we call it a tank in our reality for the same reason why the Barrel is coined). Like in our reality eith the Tank, the Barrel was too slow, not a lot of them at any given time, and broke down (as they did in the mountainous terrain in Tennessee), plus Custer sugested to utilize some new tactics for the Barrel, but the US Government wasn't interested. The USA slowly gain an advantage over Canada has they advance onto it's cities of Quebec City, Toronto, ''and ''Winnipeg. In the west, the USA also move in on Banff ''(in Alberta) to cut off any Canadian forces to the west coast. The war was also at sea. The British also try to re-take the Sandwich Islands that the USA took from them in the beginning of the war. The USA also took ''Cape Horn to cut off Britain's shipment of provisions such as food, water and even oil. As the fight went on, the ATP were able to drive the ANV out of Maryland, but the ANV was held up in DC. They also held off the USA from Roanoke and even defend Tennessee's capital of Nashville. With all this fighting in America (as Turtledove's story mostly focuses on), let's talk about Europe. Now, the fighting was brutal and many died (like in our reality), but by 1916 things begin to change. The German Empire caputre Verdun. France also relies in North African militias. By 1917, The Russian Revolution was ramping up in Russia, forcing the nation to drop out of the war (like in our reality). In France, several of it's armies mutinied against their own Government, and it was so bad that it forces France to withdraw from the war as well. Italy remains entirely Neutral throughout the war. Which leaves Britain to stand alone in the European theater. Back in America, General Custer secretly come sup with new tactics for the Barrels (using them in mass) and by April 22, 1917 Custer's new Barrel force broke through the Confederate defensive lines around Nashville. Meanwhile in the East, the ATP advance toward Manassas as another US Force invades DC where (after a battle which left DC pretty much in ruins) were able to recaputre the former capital while the ATP continues to push the ANV to Fredricksberg (only several miles north of Richmond). In the west, the USA moves in on the Confederate State of Sequoya and even parts of Texas. The USA even broke through defensive lines in Canada with Custer's new Barrel tactics, capturing Quebec City and Winnipeg and quickly moved onto Toronto. By June of 1917, the USA has agreed to the CSA's cease fire. The British also surrendered. The war was over. Aftermath With the war now over, both America and Europe can enjoy their peace. The USA obtained a much needed victory over the CSA and has punished their southern neighbors severely with huge war reparations. Not only did they get back Kentucky, but they also gained Northern Virginia (adding it to West Virginia) they also get Sequoya and western Texas (admitting it into the Union as the state of Houston). The USA also get more from the British. They get Canada (except for Quebec which declared independence, though the USA is trying to set up a Puppet Government there), they also get the Sandwich Islands as well as the Bahamas and Bermuda. The war in Europe went differently in Turtledove's story, the Central Powers won. Germany gets allof the Congo region in Africa, takes Belgium. Like the USA with Quebec, Germany also wants to set up Poland and the Ukraine as Puppet States to Germany. Rapidly Changing America In the years following the Great War, both the USA and the CSA would undergo a lot of changes in their politics, namely the political ideologies of Keep in mind that because the Central Powers won, the world will never know of Josef Stalin ''or ''Adolf Hitler, in our reality these 2 men would go on and marginalize their respective political ideologies for their own ambitions of, well, taking over the world and of course their ambitions would leave millions dead and because of it would lead to discredit both Socialism and Fascism forever. In Turtledove's story, they are more welcome in America (on both sides). Socialism would establish itself in the USA (as it had during the War, during the USA's first attempt at taking Nashville failed there were fears of Socialism winning the election which could've changed the course of the war) but even after the war the American Socialist Party would gain popularity, though bear in mind that the American Socialist Party in Turtledove's story is *NOT* an alternate communist regime (or simply, not an alternate Bolshevik group). By 1920, the USA has voted Roosevelt out of office and appointed this guy above: Upton Sinclair (who in our reality was a socialist and wrote the controversial book: The Jungle) not only does this make Sinclair the first Socialist President of the USA, but it also marked the first time since the Civil War that the USA has voted for a politician who wasn't of the Democratic Party. In the CSA, a form of Fascism was slowly coming. A Man named Jake Featherston would come into Confederate Politics. A short time after the war (which Featherston fought in but became disgruntled at the CS Generals and even blamed the Black Socialist Movements in the CSA for the CSA's defeat in The Great War) he has formed his very own political system: The Freedom Party. In 1921, Featherston tries (and fails) to run for Confederate office, and as when the Party's members assassinates the Confederate President, and Sinclair lifting the war reparations on the CSA only hurt The Freedom Party's support. Like in our reality, the world plunges into The Great Depression in 1929, everywhere around the world was effected, millions lost their jobs and profits stagnate. Like In our reality, the losers of The Great War were especially effected. The Great Depression would have a possitive effect on The Freedom party, as more and more people lose their jobs in the CSA, the membership of the Party grew immense, and eventually Featherston becomes the next President of the CSA. Featherston would also manipulate control of the CSA to make The Freedom party the dominant party of the CSA (very much like Hitler would make the Nazi party the dominant party in Germany). Featherston would also demand the USA for the US states of Kentucky, Sequoya and Houston to vote in the next CS election. By 1940, the USA agrees and even allows Kentucky and Houston to join the CSA (with Houston joining the CSA, it allows it to reunite with Texas). But Featherston wasn't just satisfied with Kentucky and Houston, he also wanted Sequoya back. Meanwhile in Europe, Kaiser Wilhelm has died and his son Fredrick the 5th assumed the throne of Germany. He has refused to hand the region of Alsace-Lorraine back to France (who has re-established an Emperor to the Throne). With this France, Britain and Russia declare war on Germany. Featherston's CSA has also declared war on Germany as well. He also sees the opportunity for revenge on the USA who won The Great War. He wants to split the USA in half by wanting to take Ohio (which is said by many Americans to be the "Heart" of the nation) if Featherston takes that, he can cut off the East from the West. With this, the USA and the CSA are at war, for the 4th and (hopefully final time). That is it for this part, our next part will see an Alternate World War 2 with Featherston wanting to take over the USA, will he do it, or wuld the USA stop him, and what kind of weapons would be used in this Alternate war? Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS singing out. Part 3